TombScape
by equilla
Summary: Yugi and Ryou have been invited to Egypt by Marik and Ishizu to help find a room talked about in Yami's tomb. But why is it in the valley of the kings, where has Ryou gone, and what is chasing Bakura?
1. Chapter 1

Equilla: welcome to my newest story. First a disclaimer

Mokuba: any characters from published movies, shows and books do not belong to Equilla unless she published them

Equilla: yep, now this one is against what I normaly would go with, as it ain't historically correct, so say scientists anyway, but hey I had an idea and I went for it, watch out for cross overs in this and seeya on the otherside

Tomb-Scape  
Arrivals 

Yugi hopped happily on one foot along the hopscotch layed out on the cemet. From a short distance Yami watched ghostly. Yugi had been tyring to teach the game to Yami, but it seemed instead that he had found something which he could win.

Of course he had Yugi state various promises not to tell anyone, especially Marik and Ryou. He knew if they found out then so would their darker sides, then he would never hear the end of it. The others of their friends sat near by on chairs. Ryou was waiting for his go along the makeshift layout which they were using.

It wasn't really a proper hopscotch board drawn onto the ground, instead they were using the patterns already there. They were all waiting for their ride while the sun beated down on them. They had been invited to stay with Marik, Ishizu and Odion in Egypt while they looked for another room which Ishizu had found inscriptions about while in Yami's resting place. Yami glanced faintly around the group, there would still have been Joey and Tristian if they weren't failing on their grades, Serenity had stayed back in Japan because her brother was, as so had Tea because of work. He still wasn't sure how Ishizu had managed to push Seto into coming, but still there he was, typing away at his laptop.

Then a car pulled up and Marik's head appeared in a pulled down window, causing the two more innocent boys to stop their game.

"Hey, glad you could make it," Marik commented then opening the door for them.

They slowly got in, surprised at the size of the car inside, while it had seemed small on the outside.

"Are you going to tell us more about this room, or are you going to make us wait?" Yami asked nervously taking over Yugi. He had been excited and nervous ever since he had heard about it, nearly driving Yugi crazy with his worry.

"Yeah, tell us about it, like is there going to be any treasure," the tomb keeper asked forcing control of Ryou, and causing Yami to roll his eyes.

"I don't actually know that much about it," Marik confesed shrugging, "Ishizu refuses to tell me anything."

"You brought us half way around the world to tell us that," Seto snapped still battering his computer's keys.

"Hey my sister wouldn't have invited you without a reason," Marik retorted glaring at the CEO.

He was answered with a snort as he was then ignored.

"Where are we going?" Yugi asked regaining control and looking out the window watching the city turn to desert.

"We are heading directly for the digging area, it is in the Valley of the Kings," Marik replied ignoring as the three darks materialised so their lights could see them, "we believe the room may be near a previous tomb from what the inscriptions talk about."

"Whose tomb?" Ryou asked as Bakura and Malik made faces at Yami.

"The pharaoh Tutankhamun," Marik replied with a grin as he mentioned the now well known pharaoh.

"Who?" Yami asked retaking control, wanting to voice his question.

"Tutankhamun, originally named Tutankhaten, he was a pharaoh probably before your time, his and his father's names were wiped from history, which is why you probably didn't know about him," Ryou explained from his own knowledge of Egypt from what his father had briefly taught him, and from what Bakura had found out from his profuse reading.

"Biggest gold find ever," Bakura added seizing control with a smirk.

The conversation then moved onto what had been happening recently in their lives as the car moved on and stopped when they could go no further into the Valley.

Wandering out and towards where the expedition was taking place they soon found Ishizu, who was directing from under a tarp, where few shards which had been found had been placed.

"Any luck yet?" Marik asked as his sister met them half way.

"As of yet no," she replied with a sigh, "but so you don't die of heat stroke and boredom why don't you have a look in the tomb."

Yami looked nervously at the tomb as his astral projection. His distraction made him not notice the nervous look on the thiefs face either, nor the estactic look on Malik's.

Yugi and Ryou were to excited to notice either of the two, while Marik nodded and lead the way having visited the tomb before.

Seto preffered to stay in side as the small group went down into the tomb, Yami and Bakura astraly taking up the rear as they slowly made their way down.

Glancing at the pharaoh snidely commented, "What's wrong Yami, scared."

"I am not scared," he retorted, "I have just never gone into another's tomb before, why are you scared."

"I am not scared," Bakura replied with a growl.

"This tomb is supposed to be cursed Ryou piped up interrupting the two as Marik nodded and Yugi listened earnestly.

"I can't believe you are afraid of a curse," Yami retorted with a half laugh.

"Don't act like you don't believe in them pharaoh," Bakura snapped back, "anyway I'm not scared, this is just one of the few tombs that has ever lived up to it's said curse."

"Talking of the curse," Marik commented as they reached the bottom of the stairs and pointed to an engraving at the top of the doorway.

"What does it say?" Yugi asked curiously to his dark.

"Death Shall Come on Swift Wings To Him Who Disturbs the Peace of the King…" Yami answered as the message trailed off which turned Yugi silent and slightly more pale, or was that just the light.

They then continued into the tomb in silence as they came to the burial chamber Yami recoiled slightly, "I thought they take the bodies out of the tombs."

Malik looked from the body and back to the pharaoh and sneered, "they decided to put this one back, what's wrong Yami, afraid it is going to come back alive."

"What would inscriptions about a room be doing in Yami's tomb," Ryou asked running his hand along some inscriptions on the wall, "and shouldn't you two know something about it as you've regained your memories?"

Both of the spirits shrugged to the question. While it made sense they didn't know, maybe it was added later after they had been trapped in the items.

To Yami's disgust Yugi stared down at the pharaoh astonished and then looked amazed at the pictures of the golden mask, "He looks so young."

"He was only nine when he became pharaoh," Marik answered, "which means Yami your not the youngest pharaoh, though he died under mysterious circumstances when he was roughly 19."

"Looks like he out reigned you as well," Bakura commented smirking and with a laugh.

Yami shot a glare at Bakura before looking around the burial chamber again, "Hey where did Ryou go?"

"Huh?" Bakura replied stunted also not being able to find his light, "Ryou where are you."

Not hearing any answer he retreated to the ring to find him that way. The others waited patiently for the two to reappear most likely from one of the few other rooms but no entrance came. Guessing that Ryou had left they were about to go out to find them, but they were stopped as they went back along the passage to the staircase and they heard a thumping noise coming from one of the walls.

A window of chance shimmered many years away, someone had opened the door bringing in the light. Reaching out he could feel it in his fingers, it was silken to the touch, but as he watched the glimmer died away and he could no longer feel the silk of the dress, of the scent of the lotus flowers. He had lost his chance, and could only hope that it would come again.

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Mokuba; that was plain cryptic  
Equilla: oy no bad puns, sorry to leave it on the cliff hanger  
Mokuba; no your not  
Equilla: your right I'm not, now if you want Ryou to be alive put a 1 in your review, if you want him to die put a 2, if you don't review then something horrible will happen  
Mokuba: er just review please.


	2. Missing

Mokuba: last time on Time-Scape

Yugi, Yami, Malik and Marik were exiting the tomb to find where Ryou and Bakura had gone. Going through the main passage way they freeze as a thumping noise comes from the wall.

Equilla: now the countinueation of the story

------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Missing 

They all stared at the wall with wide eyes, frozen to the point. Even Malik was freaked by the occurrence. The thumping continued as they stared shocked at the wall paralysed with fear.

"Oy you lot out there?" came Bakura's voice through the wall causing them to loose their fear but to gain confusion.

"Bakura? Is that you?" Yugi asked staring at the wall.

"No it is Ramses, of course it is me," came the annoyed answer.

"How did you get there and is Ryou with you?" Yami asked looking the wall up and down.

"Yeah I'm here," Ryou answered through the wall, "I fell into some type of passageway."

"Those sort of things should have been found by previous inscriptions," Marik commented in a half mutter to himself.

"Yeah well Ryou is a big clutz, get us out of here," Bakura snapped back hearing what Marik had said.

"How exactly do you expect us to do that," Yami commented, "we can't exactly break down the wall."  
"Why don't you just use the shadow realm to travel from there to here," Marik commented rolling his eyes.

"Already tried that," Ryou answered from further down the wall, "and can you guys stop moving, it is getting confusing."

They paused briefly looking at the wall where they had heard him from before and now heard him from.

"We didn't move," Yugi replied slowly, "you did."

They waited for an answer for a little while, but none came. After calling out their names for awhile and banging on the walls on Yugi's half till his hand hurt, they quickly made their way up to inform the others of what happened.

Ishizu listened calmly to Yugi's and Marik's story before asking them to show her where they were and what was happening when it occurred.

They travelled back down into the tomb tracing back their steps and showed her where they had last seen Ryou.

"What was he doing when you last saw him?" Ishizu looking up at the wall Ryou was facing when they had last seen him.

"He was putting his fingers along the images on the wall," Yugi answered shaking a bit out of worry and fear. What if they weren't able to find Ryou again, he wondered as he watched Ishizu trace her finger along the wall and travel along it.

Reaching a strange image Ishizu paused her finger hovering above it. Suddenly she heard someone calling her name. Looking towards the exit she saw one of the workers appear.

"What is it," she asked looking at him along with Yugi and Marik.

"We found a doorway," he replied earnestly.

"Lead the way," she replied forgetting what she was doing and following him out with the other two behind her.

Both Marik and Yugi were hoping that the doorway would lead to where ever Ryou and Bakura ended up, but their hopes were dashed as they found themselves being lead in the opposite direction once out. Following after them to where there was now a crowd of people. Making their way through the crowd they made their way to what was unburied. They soon found themselves looking down at a wooden door set into the ground. Marik stared at it with wide eyes not able to move from the spot. Ishizu glanced over at her brother, she could understand why he was acting as such. The hatch seemed very much like that which lead down to where they had stayed growing up. What she couldn't see was the glares that Malik were giving it from where he stood behind Marik.

Wanting to get the similarities out of sight and hopefully out of Marik's mind, Ishizu quickly had the closest workers open the door. Shining torches down into the opening they managed to see a number of steps, which didn't go too deep, but low enough to be able to stand in the room that started afterwards. Ishizu slowly lead a group of people down into the room and Yugi looked towards Marik, who still hadn't moved very far from where he had stood.

"You going to come down?" Yugi asked the blonde Egyptian.

"No, no you go on down," Marik quickly muttered back, "I think I might stay up here and figure out what happened to Ryou and Bakura."

Yugi nodded before following the small group down into the underground room.

"I wonder whose tomb this is?" a male archaeologist with a strong American accent mused out loud shining his light around the room.

"I doubt it is a tomb," a female replied with a different accent, "tombs would go deeper, have a sloping roof, and wouldn't have a wooden hatch door."

"It might be if it was a rushed job," the first retorted annoyed.

"Ow don't you to start," another replied with another foreign accent.

Ishizu moved her torch around the low roof room, there was no doorways leading off from it. She didn't notice Yugi come down the stair case into the room.

"I do not believe this is a tomb," Ishizu commented generally causing the earlier female to stick her toungue out at the Americain, "from the look of this place someone was living here."

"Why would someone want to live near the tombs?" asked the second male.

"Maybe they were to protect the tombs," replied the americain with a laugh, causing Ishizu to think and Yugi blink realizing that they probably didn't know of Marik and Ishizu's heritage, while Yami looked around the room curious.

There wasn't much there, just a single low wooden bed with light hay ontop, a bundle of tall jars stood in the corner, though there wasn't much else, it was so plain and empty, they probably weren't going to spend much time there.

"This place is a great find, sure it ain't no gold and copper, but how many people find places like this intact," one of the others commented, though Yugi was unable to differentiate from one to another in the dark, so he just listened to the conversation no longer putting names to voices.

"Why would anyone live this close to guard the tombs."

"Who ever it was didn't do a good job."  
"Maybe they just didn't stay here long."  
"I think it was just for Tut's tomb."  
"Why do you think that?"  
"Someone had to reseal the tomb after it was broken into twice."

This came as a surprise to both Yugi and Yami. From the pictures they had seen in the tomb of what had been there, it seemed unlikely that there had been even one robbery, let alone two. Also the fact that it had been resealed made no sense.

"We shall return outside, and then you can come down later with more of the others to catalogue all the items, but at present we have to find someone who got caught in a trap in the Tutankhamun tomb" Ishizu commented breaking the talk and heading back towards the exit.

The others nodded following her up leaving Yugi alone in the room with Yami. Something about the room didn't seem right to Yami, and even Yugi was getting strange vibes from the room. Shaking his head Yugi went back up the stairs, and Yami followed soon after.

Once again reaching the daylight he found Ishizu talking with Malik heading back down into tomb with some others to conduct a search for Ryou. Yugi quickly caught up to them in the burial chamber as the search group spread out looking for the hidden passage way. Ishizu was surrounded by Marik and hidden to most people, Malik, as Yugi made his way over leaving Yami at the door.

Ishizu moved back to inscription where she had left off, "This makes no sense, I do not understand why this wasn't noticed before?"

Yugi and Marik looked over her shoulder at the inscription and Yugi inquired, "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, it is a name isn't it?" Marik replied, asking his sister.

"It is in a cartouche, but it does not hold a name," she replied reading it, "he who withstands the test of gods."

"Sounds like who ever it is about was well thought of," Marik comented as she traced her hand over the inscription.

Ishizu's finger got caught in a notch of the inscription and the ground shifted under her feet, along with Malik' and Yugi's who was standing on the same slab of stone. As he watched his sister disappear, Marik called out after her, as Yami did as Yugi disappear. While Malik thought, 'sure no one thinks to call out my name.'

The light appeared again, the smell of Lotus was stronger this time then before. He reached out from the cold and grabbed at what he could see infront of him. He felt the threads of hair in his hands, and could feel cold skin under his touch. Grabbing firmly onto the arm he had found, he pulled himself out of the cold and through the light.

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Mokuba: what on earth is with the cryptic parts?  
Equilla; wait and see, though there shouldn't be anymore for awhile now

Mokuba: thank you.


	3. beep

Mokuba: Last time on Tomb-Scape

Marik and the spiritually projected Yami watch as Ishizu, Yugi and Malik fall through a sudden opening.

Equilla; now onwards with it all

------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Ishizu! Yugi! Are you two ok down there?" Marik called looking down into the hole on his hands and knees as some of the others that had also come over from the outcry tried to see down using their torches.

"We are fine," Ishizu replied up unseen, "Just a little shaken is all."  
"Is it safe to come down?" asked an eager fluffy haired male.

"Set lighting up down here before getting too many people down here, and make sure we have a way out first," Ishizu instructed in reply.

"Do you think this is the chamber mentioned in Yami's tomb?" Yugi asked piping up for the first time since he had fallen down.

" I can not be sure yet," Ishizu replied waiting for them to be given a way out of the room, or at least a more decent light source.

'Are you ok Yugi?' Yami asked via his mind link still worried for his small friend.

'I'm fine,' Yugi replied, 'Malik keeps muttering on though.'

'Malik please stop complaining,' Marik replied to his dark's grumbles, 'I didn't call out for you as I knew you couldn't have been hurt, also I would have looked crazy if I had.'

Malik just muttered in return cursing Marik under his breath to which the boy sighed.

After awhile they had managed to get a ladder down into the hidden chamber along with a number of torches and electric lanterns to help light the area properly.

"I can't even imagine how straining it must have been on the workers eyes to build this room," one of the archaeologists, "there is no way that they would have been able to even mirror the sun's light down here so that it remained strong and lighted most of the room."

Another agreed commenting about it's odd placement in the room above.

Yugi was being taken care of, having a suspected fracture in his left arm, and was also getting talked to about not telling the truth to Yami about his present status, no matter how much he scared him.  
Marik was glad that Malik had decided to sulk darkly outside while he helped his sister in the new cavern, even though he knew the pineapple haired boy would be uncooperative for at least the rest of the day.

Ishizu traced her finger hovering over the images on the wall of the chamber mouthing sentences under her breath. The only other two let down into the chamber were quickly making sketches of the surrounding art.

"Why isn't there even an inch of hieroglyphics?" asked Marik getting slightly bored of the dimly lit room.

He had a slight case of claustrophobia because of his restricted home life, and was starting to also feel nervous in the enclosed area.

"It does seem to just be a beautiful retelling of battle between Horus and Set," Ishizu replaced gazing intrigued at the image of the goddess Isis helping heal Horus' injured eye.

"You have to be kidding me," Marik commented wincing at the memory of the story, and the particular image his sister was admiring.

"You need to be more careful then that," Yami reminded Yugi for the fiftieth time.

'Yes Yami, I'm sorry, I will be,' Yugi replied by mind link, as to not look weird to surrounding people, being slightly too use to the safety speech.

"I can't protect you from everything," the insistent pharaoh continued.

Malik rolled his eyes at the continuous speech, "Well he certain won't be able to get in any sort of trouble if you continue to nag him to death."

Yami became silent very quickly at the remark, glaring at the spiritual offender. Malik ignored the put off glare leaning back against a tent pole and looking up at the sky.

"I don't understand how they can just stand around doing this day in and day out," he commented bored, "this place is dead in more then one way, it's boiling hot and it isn't like they get to even keep what they find."

"They do it for their love of our time, which is also your heritage," Yami snapped back a little annoyed, "they want to find out what it was like to live back then."

"So they go around digging up the graves, like legal modern day tomb robbers," Malik commented smirking.

"At least they have respect for those in the tombs," Yami replied dryly.

Malik gave a short snort of laughter, "I bet they would just love to get their hands on you and Bakura. Well if we find him anyway."

"We will find them," Yami growled angry at Malik for making Yugi more worried about them then he was previously.

"Face facts pharaoh," he replied with a sneer, "they haven't any clue to how we could hear Ryou and Bakura along the passage way, why they were, moving without realising it or where they were sent to."

Glancing over at the down faced Yugi, Yami snapped back at Malik commanding him to shut up or face the consequences.

Ceasing any brawls that may have been started between the two Marik emerged from the tomb shaking slightly, "I hate small spaces."

Giving his lighter side a deep glare Malik demanded, "Why didn't you call out my name."

'Well they would have thought I was crazy, calling out a name of someone that isn't there,' Marik stated matter of factly, 'also it isn't like you could have really been hurt, you don't even have a body to injure.'

Malik hmphed turning away and returning back to his sulking.

"Hows your arm Yugi?" Marik asked turning to his stunted friend.

"It's ok," he replied, "Not even hurting as much anymore."

"That's good," Marik replied as Yugi thanked the American for bandaging up his wrist.

Not long afterwards Yugi was giggling.

"What's so funny," Malik muttered, not liking the intruding noise into his sulking.

"I've got a mummified arm," Yugi giggled, causing a quiet chuckle out of Marik, Malik shake his head and Yami to sweat drop.

The American returned glad to see the two boys smiling, "We are going to be driving Yugi into town to get his wrist x-rayed. Want to come Marik?"

"That sounds great Brandon," Marik replied, glad he could remember the man's name at the last minute.

"What about Ryou?" Yugi asked worried.

"Don't worry, we are still looking for them," He replied with a reassuring smile, "even looking for secret doors in the hallway."

Yugi nodded, smiling reassured, "ok. When are we going?"

"We can go right now if you like," the archaeologist replied.

After a nod from both Yugi and Yami, Bradon went off to see who else wanted to go back into town.

"Can you and Malik stay here?" Yugi asked his darker half giving him puppy dog eyes.  
Yami nodded, not needing the wide eyes to get him to agree, "though contact us if anything goes wrong."

"Of course Yami."

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Equilla; I live!

Mokuba: and I'm faring ok here as well

Equilla; if your wondering what happened to me, well my muse for all my stories disappeared when some of the chapters I worked on while I was over seas disappeared. That sort of thing really puts you in a dump. But I am back and writing. You can thank a Egyptology show for finding my muse in this. Now to try and work on my other stories.  
Mokuba; and the reason this wasn't said at the start. The first half of this chapter was written over 2 months ago.


	4. Tourising

Equilla: Last time on Tomb Scape

Mokuba: Marik and Yugi head to town, so Yugi could go to the doctors, while Yami and Malik stayed behind to look for Ryou and Bakura.

Equilla: and now the story countinues

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Yugi watched the scenery go by interested in all the different buildings and tourist attractions go by as they travelled to the near by city. Marik shook his head laughing lightly at his friend's enthusiasm in the scenery that had become so normal to him.

"I can't believe that Yami grew up with this in it's peak," Yugi gasped watching it all pass by.

"Some of this would have been under sand when he was alive," Marik replied reading a book.  
"I hope that they are ok without us," Yugi mused looking back towards Marik.

"I'm sure they will be fine," he reassured, about to say something but stopped seeing a boy approach them on the bus.

The Egyptian male was not much taller then Marik, and his tanned young face looked like that of a boy in their late teens.

"Excuse me," the boy asked in a broken English, "could I sit with you. Other seats on the bus are taken?"

Yugi nodded with a grin, "of course, I'm Yugi and this is Marik."

The boy nodded sitting, "Yes, I see Marik working around, you are one of those who arrived today."

"Yeah that's us," Marik said a little put off that the boy knew more about them they knew about him, "I don't remember seeing you much."  
"I am one of the hired helpers," the boy replied bowing his head in respect, "My name is Khalid Re…'akire."

Khalid had paused in the middle of saying his last name looking back at the brunette who was furisously, and loudly typing away at the back of the us.

Marik looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes, "that's Kiaba, don't worry he is always like that. Actually I kinda forgot Seto was here he has been staying so out of the way."

Yugi nodded also looking back at the concentrating CEO before turning back to their new friend, "why are you heading into town?"

"Work has stopped, and I was hungry," Khalid replied simply.

"How about you come to lunch with us," Yugi perked, "I'm sure Marik would like companionship when I'm getting my arm looked at."

Before Marik protested about Yugi's use of the word 'companionship' Khalid agreed to spend the day with him.

As Yugi had his arm looked at, the waiting room contained an unsettled silence. Marik watched Khalid, who was engulfed in reading a magazine on local news. Marik didn't mind that Yugi had invited Khalid to go with them, he knew it meant that it was even less likely that Yugi would be sold fake items when Marik was distracted. But he was looking forward to be able to be his friends' tour guides, at least he would still be able to be Ryou's guide, when he was able to be found again.

"So," Marik commented breaking the silence, "where do you live?"  
"In the apartments, low priced area," Khalid replied placing down the magazine, to which Marik nodded not really understanding the area of housing, having moved into a nice sized house with his brother and sister in the cooler northern area of eygpt.

"Where you going to show Yugi around the tourist area of the city?" Khalid inquired.

Marik nodded as Yugi came out smiling from the doctors office.

"What did they say?" Marik asked noting that Yugi's arm remained only wrapped in bandages, now also with a stiff wrist guard on it.

"Only badly sprained," Yugi chirped happily, "Should be off in less then a month."

"Yami you have checked that place from top to bottom, face it they are never going to be seen again," Malik sneered enjoying Yami's stressed looking.

"Maybe they are in the shadow realm," Yami musesd thinking as he looked around the now empty chamber.

"For crying out loud, will you at least give it a break if we look there," Malik moaned, half sick of having to follow the pharaoh around, as he got scolded everythime he didn't.

Yami nodded disappearing from view, and Malik soon followed after him.

Marik and Khalid raced after Yugi from stall to stall in the tourist packed streets. Having escaped fro their watchful eyes once again, Yugi was gazing amazed at a small statue of a pharaoh sitting on a thrown, wondering if Yami would appreciate it for a gift.  
"It is an original piece and is bound to bring good luck to the single who buys the beautiful exact replica of a statue kept away from public eyes in the cairo museum," the shop keeper proded Yugi, in hopes of getting the boy to buy the over priced clay item.

Before Yugi could reach his purse Khalid found him and picked up the statuette, "you say that this is a replica from a statue in the museum."

The shopkeeper nodded nervously, not liking having someone nose in on his business transaction. Yugi looked to Khalid, hoping that maybe he would have actually finaly found something worth buying, as Marik came up behind them.

Khalid shook his head putting the statuette back down and ushering Yugi away from the stall, "the clothing isn't that of a pharaoh, and the crown is in the wrong context with the descriptions."

As Marik and Khalid walked Yugi back to the more trustworthy shops the stallkeeper glared at them, before turning to pull in a new customer.   
"You know a lot about the ancient art styles," Marik commented.

"Well, working around the dig site you start to pick up on thing, especially with the way that all the foreign archaeologists talk about things," Khalid replied with a smile causing Marik to laugh slightly.

Yugi looked from one to the other, not understanding it completely, "where did Seto go?"

"Pharoah he isn't around here, give up already," Malik moaned already sick of Yami's search in the shadow realm, having already checked up on the souls he had trapped in the shadow realm.

Yami turned glaring on Malik, "you are pathetic. You get along with Bakura the most, I thought your would at least try to be finding him so you can torture me together."

Malik scoughed and looked towards the sound of a strange noise. Hearing it as well Yami started carefully towards the direction of the odd sound. Out of pure curiosity Malik followed and stopped shocked next to the pharaoh, as they stared at the same strange occurrence before them.

The shadow realm was twisting and turning, wilting away from the brown fog growing with great intensity and sending out a strange sense of doom from it.

"This definantly can't be good, we have to find Bakura," Yami commented to the still open mouthed fellow eygptian, who nodded in complete agreement dumbly.

Bakura spun around glaring through the dim light. Moving forward he growled as he walked face first into a wall, spouting off several insults, and deciding to blame it on Yami. Pulling back he traced his hand along the rough rock, his fingers slipping into an unseen engraving. Following the lines around he quickly pulled his hand away feeling the engraving turn smooth and move under his fingers by itself. He took a few steps back listening to the hiss like noise, as it slithered away.

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Equilla: well there is a bit of Bakura, keeping everything on track.

Mokuba; it's going to get cryptic again isn't it  
Equilla: shush up and do your job  
Mokuba; ok ok, well JM and TR, here is the next update for you two, also please don't give her the idea of using ninjas


	5. Running

"He went back to the hotel," Marik reassured the worried Yugi for the fifth time, "He isn't going to disappear on you. Not that it would be a bad thing really."

Yugi gave a soft glare to Marik for his ending comment, "Don't say things like that!"

"Yes you should not say such things, it is bad," Khalid nodded in agreement pausing as if to remember the right word, "karma."

Marik rolled his eyes, he wasn't minding the company of the fellow Egyptian, but the fact that he kept siding on the same side as Yugi had become rather irritating.

"Can we go back to looking for Ryou now?" Yugi pleaded to the blond.

Sighing Marik nodded, "There should be a bus leaving in about 15 minutes."  
"I best be going myself," Khalid replied giving a slight bow to the two, "it has been a pleasure meeting the two of you, and I hope to see you again before you leave."

Marik and Yugi nodded in reply as they watched their new friend walk off with a final wave.

Suddenly they found themselves not as alone as they were before at the small bus stop.

Yami was panting heavily, while Malik was looking partially dishevelled.

"What happened to the two of you?" Marik asked looking to Yugi, to not attract attention.

"Realm, not, shadow, normal," Yami replied trying to catch his breath between the muddled up words.

The two lights looked at the Pharaoh confused by his words, now knowing less then they had before.

"We looked for Bakura in the shadow realm," Malik commented cleaning up the murdered sentence, "we couldn't find him but there was a unusual strange fog there."

"So why is Yami so exhausted?" Marik asked watching the recovering male.

"Because the idiot decided to poke it and spent the next hour running in circles trying to get the stuff off his hand," Malik replied.

After much jeering towards Yami, the four finally arrived back at the work sight.

"Would you give a rest already, I panicked ok, just let it go already," Yami growled to the happy and content Malik.

Yugi got back off the bus shaking his head noticing there was a large amount of people waiting for the bus. Gaining a sudden rise in hopes for his lost friend, he weaved his way through the crowds leaving his taller friends behind, in his search for Ishizu. Reaching the bronzed female he looked up at her with his hopeful large eyes.  
"Did you find him?" Yugi asked a smile of hope on his lips.

Ishizu sighed sadly, not wanting to break hi heart, "I'm sorry Yugi, we haven't. Some people are going to stay and continue the search overnight. But it is getting late and most of us are tired and need sleep."  
Yugi nodded sadly looking down, realising he shouldn't have raised his hopes so quickly.

"Come on," Ishizu commented lifting his chin and offering him a comforting smile, which she had to use on her brother more then once, "I'm sure we will have better luck tomorrow."

Yugi nodded smiling again doing his best to regain his confidence in the search.

Marik followed by the ghostly Yami and Malik, who unlike him weren't having any trouble getting through the masses, as they just walked straight through them, finally was able to reach Ishizu and Yugi.  
"Could you two stop doing that," Marik muttered under his breath to the two, "it's disturbing."

Malik gave a snort of amusement and Yami rolled his eyes moving next to his light.

"Hey Marik, we are going to head back and resume the search tomorrow," Yugi chirped.

Marik stuttered breathless, "but I just managed to get here, and you want me to go back!"

Yugi apologised and Ishizu smiled giving her younger brother a light pat on the head who was still fuming slightly to the amusement of his dark.

After the ride back as they headed up to their rooms, Marik deciding to stay with Yugi, to help subdue the feeling of Ryou's disappearance by leaving Yugi in an empty room.

"How about I take you to the museum tomorrow?" Marik suggested, "I'm sure that we would only get in the way at the dig. Also we might be able to find something that points to where they could have gone. The rest of the Tutankhamun exhibit is there."

Yugi nodded tired, "sounds good."  
Marik watched with the others as Yugi snuggled into bed, falling slowly asleep, "Maybe you guys should go check up on the shadow realm while we are sleeping."

The two darks nodded solemnly as the Egyptian boy got into bed before he added, "and don't freak out this time."

Yami scowled and Malik laughed quietly as they both disappeared into the shadow realm.

The sun shone in the window trickling down onto marik's face, tickling his eyelids making his squint. He blinked his soft lavender eyes open shaded them from the sun with his golden arm. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed his eyes, pulling the thin blanket off his pjamaed legs, swinging them around, till his smooth feet touched the plush carpet of the hotel room. Stumbling he finally managed to find his way to the tap. He place the crystal like glass under the tap and turned one of the tapes with his well kept hand. Soon he was blinking confused as the freezing cold water dripped down his face, hair and clothes. Looking down confused he sweat-dropped as he realised he placed the cup upside down, causing the water to spray back up at him.

Bakura finally stopped his slowing run. He probably would have continued running if he wasn't out of breath. Something back there had tried to eat him, it wasn't like anything he had ever seen before. But yet it had a nagging familiarity to it, something that he should remember, but just instilled a sense of fear instead of memory. He could hear the dragging of scales against the stone floor somewhere in the corridors behind him. This encouraged him to urge forward as silently as he could.

Malik burst out laughing at his light's expression, while Yami tried to resist laughing himself.

Yugi came out of the bathroom looking concerned at his friend, "Are you ok Marik?"

Marik nodded in reply glaring at the other two causing Yami to cough and look out the window with a fake serious look plastered on his face. Malik on the other hand didn't have any care in covering his laughter, and the glare only caused him to laugh more.

"Come on Marik, you said we would go to the museum today to look for clues," Yugi commented, filling the glass and handing it to Marik.  
Marik thanked Yugi taking the glass, "I know, and we shall, but it doesn't even open until 10, so we have time."

"It's already nine thirty, we slept in," Yugi replied stepping out of the way as Marik made his way to the bathroom.

"Alright, we'll get going as soon as I'm finished getting ready," Marik answered after brushing his teeth.

He headed back across to the pile of clothes he had moved into the room for the day and took them back into the bathroom, closing the door, "Malik, Yami, how did your monitoring of the shadow realm go?"

"When did you two monitor the shadow realm?" Yugi asked turning to the two darks as Malik rolled his eyes.

"Marik asked us to last night," Yami explained before continuing, "The cloud doesn't seem to have grown. When we hit it with blasts it did seem to retreat slightly, leaving behind what looked like sand. Also the rod appears to not be able to control it, no matter how much Malik tries."

The Pharaoh jeered at the ghostly tomb keeper, who scowled in reply.

"Well at least we know we can get rid of it," Marik commented coming out and pulling down his white mid drift top, "but best not attack it incase it is connected to Bakura and Ryou."

Yugi nodded in agreement as Marik slipped the rod into his belt buckle, "Lets get going then."

Yugi wandered slowly down past the rooms glancing towards Marik, and wondering where he was leading him. Yami looked longingly at all the artefacts from his own time and that before it.

"Why can't we stop and look, it won't take too long," the Pharaoh whined trying to reach out and touch one statue, but being restrained by his light.

"We are looking here to find clues," Marik reminded him, "so we are only going to look at relevant areas."  
"But," Yami stammered uselessly as they reached the room at the end of the corridor and entered.

"What is this?" Yugi asked looking around confused by the more aged people in the sketching in the room they had entered.

"It's the Akhenaten exhibit," Marik replied, "he is a Pharaoh before Yami, but still in the New Kingdom time period."  
Yami shook his head not recognising the name or any of the pieces, "whoever he was, he should have fired his artists, this stuff is awful."

"Talk about having a long face," Malik laughed before pulling an imitation of the previous Pharaoh in question.

During the small teasing session on the dead king Yugi's eyes locked on familiar figure, and he found his way over to the young male quickly.

"Khalid hey," Yugi greeted tapping the Egyptian teen on the shoulder, "didn't expect to see you here."  
"Ow hi Yugi," Khalid reply turning to the young Japanese, giving him a smile before returning his gaze to the inscribings infront of him, "I like coming here, it feels like the past is in these rooms."

Yugi glanced also at the odd inscribings, "I wish I knew what this said."  
As Yami looked at them over Yugi's shoulder to answer before his face turned red in an attempt not to burst out laughing.

"It's a love poem," Khalid answered "written by Akhenaten, to his main wife."  
Yugi nodded a little startled, "Em so this was found often?"

"Nah Akhenaten was a whack job Pharaoh," Marik commented with a snide smirk, "he changed the religion to a minor deity, not allowing any others, and moved the capital. Not to mention changing the art."  
"Many people believe he changed the religion to take the immense power away from the priests of Amun that they had gained," Khalid replied with a slight edge to his voice, "but he did seem to be more of an artist then a soldier, which wasn't good for the country."

Marik took a step away from their new friend, thinking that he might have insulted him some how.

"We are going to head up to the Tutankhmun exhibit on the upper level," he commented quickly changing subject, "want to come up with us?"

After a moment of thought Khalid nodded in reply, giving the statue of the oddly defined Pharaoh a last glance and turning to face the others and the exit.

Arriving in the said exhibit Yugi gasped in awe gazing at the mask in the centre case of the room.

"Wow, that must have been heavy to wear, though how would he have seen," Yugi asked without reading the information plate, causing the other to laugh at his confusion.

"It is a death mask," Khalid answered him with a kind smile, "it was put over the head of the mummy."

"Good thing that Bakura didn't see this," Marik whispered with a smirk to Yami who nodded in agreement.

Yugi nodded now understanding, walking around the case gazing at the mask from it's many sides. Marik went over to some of the engraved burial objects in hopes of clues of where their missing friends could have disappeared to. Yami and Malik were studying the fragments of the surviving book of the dead looking for anything that was different then normal.

After surveying all the different items associated with anything that could give a clue the group decided to head out as it was nearly 1 and they were to meet Ishizu for lunch.

Yugi found Khalid gazing slightly spaced at Tutankhamun's golden throne and tapped him lightly on the shoulder so he didn't scare him.

"Um Khalid, I'm just saying bye," Yugi commented as the male looked at him with doe brown eyes, seeming slightly out it, "we are heading back to the dig for lunch."

Khalid nodded looking back at the throne, "ok, I hope to see you again before you go."

Bakura dipped back down into the small hole he had found as the footsteps drew near. He pushed his back against the rough stone, cringing as the feet brushed up sand in his face as they passed.

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Mokuba: ow yay more crypticness

Equilla: no they are clues, anyway hope to see you guys soon next time.


	6. Lunch and stories

Mokuba: Last time on Tomb-Scape Yami and Marik found a strange brown cloud in the shadow realm.

Equilla: what it really means is that it wasn't much of a cliff-hanger last time so just reminding you of an earlier part.

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Having quickly gotten bored of the lunch time conversation and reassurances to Yugi, Yami and Malik had decided to go back to the shadow realm to check on the irregularity.

Finally finishing his lunch, after pushing it worriedly around his plate three times Marik gave a received sigh.  
"I'm glad you enjoyed the exhibit, and I'm sorry it didn't shed any more light on the matter," Ishizu commented sipping her 2nd tea.

"It's ok," Yugi replied giving a reassuring smile, "I'm sure they will turn up soon anyway."

Marik nodded happy that Yugi was feeling more reassured about it, though he was just hoping that he wasn't getting his hopes too high. He did hope that everything came out the best for Ryou, but he also knew if it didn't, then Yugi would be hit harder then he would. Suddenly he was brought out of his thoughts by Malik cursing over the connection.

He glanced towards Yugi seeing if he got any messages from Yami that would explain the swearing, though Yugi looked just as confused as he did.

"Is something wrong?" Ishizu asked concerned seeing the looks on both of the boys' faces.

Shaking his head Yugi regained his smile, "no, just thought I heard something is all."  
Marik nodded in agreement trying to recontact his darker side.

"Nothing we do here is going to make a difference pharaoh," Malik commented, just as bored as he was watching the others eat.

"We have to at least find out what this thing is doing here," Yami replied trying to see through the thick brown fog.

"And how are 'we' going to do that," Malik snickered coming over to him, "it didn't really work last time you tried touching it. But I won't mind the entertainment if you try to do that again. We've also been forbidden from destroying it remember."

"I have a slight idea of what we can do," Yami replied before shoving Malik swearing into the fog.

Yami laughed briefly before a tanned arm reached out and pulled him into the pressing fog.

"Why did you do that for," Yami yelled at the spiky haired male.

"Me, you pushed me in, in the first place," Malik yelled back glaring at the offending spirit.

Yami was no longer listening to him, but was instead looking around at the sandy floors and dark stone walls around them.

Yugi watched the pyramids move past as they travelled along the Nile. He wasn't too sure at first on going but again it wasn't something that he wanted to miss. They were going to be spending the night out at the Valley of the Kings. Something which Marik had said the archaeologists had been daring each other to do so for weeks now. Yugi liked the idea as he hoped that it might help them to maybe hear Ryou better at night time. Marik didn't want to point out to Yugi that Ryou probably would be half starved to death, but some things just slip out.

Yugi looked slightly pained at Marik briefly but then perked up, "That's ok, I don't think he ever ate anything when Bakura was controlling him in battle city. From the way he would eat after being released at any rate."

Marik blinked at Yugi's answer at first then burst out laughing, " he did eat a lot then didn't he."  
Yugi nodded grinning widely, until a swell came up rocking the boat roughly turning Yugi slightly green around the face.

"You ok?" Marik asked looking worried at his slight bodied friend.

Yugi shook his head which just made the matter worse, and he quickly leaned over the edge of the boat emptying out his recently eaten lunch.

As the sky grew dark Yugi was glad for the circle of lamps and torches that the others had set up. He wasn't so happy about the stories they had decided to tell. As one of the Americans finished up a slightly perverted ghost story Yugi was both confused and deeply scared, to Marik's relief that Yugi didn't seem to understand the more perverted parts of the story, keeping up his innocent look.

That was something which the others camping over had caught onto, which wasn't handling very well for Yugi, as whenever the same confused look washed over his face when some of them hit the others, caused them to burst out laughing, and for his head to get ruffled again.

As Yugi's new shivers and yelps of fear from the latest story caused some of the more awing girls to give him a group hug Marik spotted lights coming from one of the further off tombs.

"Hey," he asked the person to his left, " why are the lights on over there?"

The guy glanced over frowning, " not sure. I think that is tomb I 16, the lights shouldn't be on."

"That's ok," Marik commented sitting up, "I'll go see what is going on, just make sure they don't give Yugi nightmares tonight please."

The guy laughed looking to the colourful haired boy, "with the attention he is getting I'm sure he will forget those stories soon."

Shaking his head Marik made his way through the darkness to the lightly lit tomb.

Slowly edging his way down the stairs, keeping a hand on the wall Marik followed the light ahead of him, cursing himself for not having the forethought of bringing one of the torches with him. Finally reaching end of the corridor he looked in surprised at seeing a familiar figure standing over the glass cased open

Khalid glared down at the decrepit corpse despisingly.

"Khalid what are you doing down here?" Marik asked confused as to why the new friend should be there so late, " are you sleeping over the night as well."

Not getting any response from the solemn faced Egyptian Marik spoke again, "look we really should get out of here, we aren't supposed to be down here."

"He didn't deserve a place like this," he finally spoke breaking his silence.  
"What?" Marik replied rather surprised by the sudden statement.

"He is a cold blooded murder, he doesn't deserve such lavish tomb," he answered

glaring at the mummy.

Getting slightly creeped out Marik started wishing that he had told the others before heading down, "What are you talking about?"  
Snapping his gaze away from the entombed body Khalid looked to Marik giving him a warm smile, "nothing important, shall we head up now."  
Marik stood mouth open as he watched the fellow Egyptian pass by him heading back towards the exit of the tomb with the slightly old looking lamp.

Quickly coming back to his senses Marik chased back after Khalid, "I didn't know you were staying over the night. Won't your parents be worried?"  
Khalid smiled looking back at him, "my parents don't really mind, and the others invited me. I think mainly to help with putting up and taking down the tents."

Marik smiled slightly at the joke, "come on we best rescue Yugi before they scar him for life with their stories.

Finally noticing their surroundings Malik gapped, "where are we?"

"I, I think we are inside the fog," Yami replied stuttering.

"What is this place," asked looking towards him expecting a knowledgeable answer.

"I don't know, it isn't the shadow realm or or," Yami answered unsure of himself, "I don't like this place, it isn't right."

"What do you mean it isn't right," Malik protested slightly scared by the unfamiliar surroundings.

Then something came to Yami, "We have to go back right now. I know where this place feels familiar with."  
"What, what are you going on about?" Malik asked angry at the pharaoh.

"I'll explain later," Yami replied returning to the puzzle to escape the fog.

Bakura watched in amazement as the light flickered out again. He could see I just around the corner, and it looked so warm. But he was sure that it was a trick of her, trying to lure him out again. He wasn't going to be anyone's dinner.

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Equilla: happy no cryptic bits  
Mokuba; what do you call that bit right at the end then, huh, what do you call that!  
Equilla: a bakura update  
Mokuba; …. People please review to rescue me from her, please

Equilla:


	7. Squish goes the Yugi

Mokuba; last time on Tomb-Scape

something came to Yami, "We have to go back right now. I know where this place feels familiar with."  
Equilla: and now we continue

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Travelling back into the shadow realm, and leaving to meet back up with the others, they decided to tell Marik first as not to worry Yugi too much. Finding him heading towards the crowded campfire with Khalid, Malik decided to mention it first.

"Marik we went into it," Malik commented ignoring the fact that Marik had company.

Being completely ignored by Marik, Malik steps in front of him, expecting him to stop, but mainly just to spite him, and to not seem odd to Khalid, Marik walks right through Malik.

Rather pissed off by the rude action Malik growls glaring at Marik, only being held back by Yami from hitting him.  
"Oi, hikaro listen when I'm talking to you," Malik yelled at his back, as the two spirits followed after them to the campfire.

Reaching the circle of people the four of them stopped slightly amused and slightly sorry for Yugi, other then Malik who was just amused. The poor boy was sitting wide eyed, slightly scared by the stories, though to comfort him, one of the girls had him sitting on her lap, and he then had two girls on either side, all three ready to hug him if he got too scared.

"You ok?" Marik asked resulting in the wide eyes turn to him and Yugi replied with a tiny nod.

Deciding to rescue him from the stories which were likely to only become more frightening and perverted, he helped him to his feet from the now slightly saddened girl's lap, "we really should get some sleep, especially as he is probably going to be kept up with those stories."

After another timid nod from Yugi, the group relinquished the small boy, though at the same time roping Khalid in to stay. Ushering Yugi away Marik gave Khalid a slightly sympathetic look, and was given an understand look in turn.

Reaching the tent and settling Yugi down, who quickly cuddled into his sleeping bag, Malik couldn't help but smirk at the spiky haired youth.

"Nice little harem you had there, think you could lend any of them to us," he commented snidely. His comment caused Yugi to only become confused, and Yami to hit Malik harshly over his head.

"One of the others said that before," he replied stunning them slightly, "and also about the curse of the mummy. What if it's gotten Ryou."

Not noticing the slightly expiated look on the others, he continued to worry on until Marik broke his stream of word by putting a hand on his shoulder, "Yugi there is no such thing as the curse of the mummy, it is just a story."  
"But," Yugi protested about to contest the statement when Marik looked to Yami for help on the matter.  
"Yugi I know of no spells that would be able to do that," he insisted with a sigh, "so I doubt that it would ever happen."

As Yugi gave a slight nod starting to become more reassured Marik looked to Malik and Yami, "what was it that you were trying to tell me before?"

"Why should we tell you," Malik replied back snapping slightly, "you didn't want to listen before."

Rolling his eyes at Malik's attitude Yami pushed him out of the way, "When we were in the shadow realm we went into the fog."

"Did you find anything?" Yugi asked, both lights looking at the ex-pharaoh eager for good news.

"It was just a dank alleyway," Malik answered flipping it off without a care.  
"It was like a stone corridor," Yami enlarged giving a better idea of the area, "was mainly too dark to be able to really see anything."

As the two looked down at the lack of good news he continued, "but it had a familiar vibe to it."

"Yeah," Malik commented interrupting, "you didn't tell me about that yet."  
"I'm going to tell you all now," Yami snapped at the annoying maniac before continuing, "it had the same strange vibes I got from that small room that was found. The one that they are still arguing about."

"We should look at it again tomorrow," Yugi piped up, Marik and Malik having slightly sour looks, knowing the bad memories that the room had brought up for them.

Giving a sigh Marik nodded, "We'll come with you."

As he finished speaking they all went silent as a tall, oddly shaped shadow fell across the tent door way. Soon their fears, which mainly were Yugi's, were relived as slightly annoyed looking Seto came in carrying his open laptop.

"What are you doing here?" Marik asked annoyed at the intrusion by the antisocial CIO, "shouldn't you be hiding away in the warmth of the motel?"

"You do realise the reason you got invited to stay here tonight was because there were no free rooms in the motel tonight," Seto informed not responding to the irate tone of the Egyptian boy's voice, "and I am in your tent as your sister kept insisting that I tell you what I have found."

"What do you mean, what did you find?" Yami commanded seizing control of Yugi's body.

"I have been researching ways in which to help find your friend," he replied in a tone that seemed to show he didn't really care, "I also sent for a device that will let us see any irregularities in the area and might help to point out his location."

"Why are you helping us find Ryou?" Marik asked slightly confused.

"I would like to go home with good news for Mokuba, not bad news. So the sooner he is found the sooner I can go get back to work," Seto explained informatively.

"I also sent out pictures and layouts of the hidden room that was found to some other professionals that Ishizu knows," he informed reading off the screen, "most of them insist that it was in the style used during the old kingdom and was possibly stumbled across during the digging of the tomb."

"Why would there be old kingdom tombs in the Valley of the Kings," Yami inquired to which he got no answer.

"And it was most likely used by priests," Seto continued ignoring the interruption, "and some of them insist magicians."

His tone of thought about it being used magicians showed that he still didn't believe in magic even after everything that they had been through.

Excusing himself from the tent, to some of their relief, for the reason of sleep, Yami reappeared in spirit form giving Yugi control of his body back.

"So you mean millennium magic might be at work?" Yugi piped up thinking that maybe the elusive Shadi might be at work in the whole thing somehow.  
Appearing in spiritual form next to Yugi, Yami shook his head ,"no, Yugi. It couldn't be done by any millennium item, my father was the one that created them."

"Look, if we go to sleep now we can check both areas out again tomorrow morning," Marik commented suddenly feeling tired, "we can't do it now as they are both locked, it's too dangerous and we would get in trouble."  
"Goody two shoes," Malik muttered under his breath not really caring about the matter at all.

As the other two agreed they soon all lay down to sleep for the night. Most of it was calm except for a couple of screaming awakes as Yugi woke from nightmares and started seeing things.

As daylight once again came, they wished that it would have stayed away for a couple more hours, and ended up sleeping in. Finally getting dressed and out of the tent they made their way down to the small room, where they found a few people still categorising and taking photos.

The three of them watched the spiritual pharaoh trail his finger across the wall, talking to himself out loud, "this place feels exactly like tha"

He was soon stopped to a harsh and startled end as something as something from the wall had launched forth grabbing his wrist tightly.

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Equilla: dun dun duuuuuun  
Mokuba: … my brother actually cares about giving me good news?  
Equilla: that is the only thing you picked up from that whole chapter isn't it. Anyway  
Katezela- the end of one cliff-hanger and the start of another.

Tomboy- thanks

And I have no idea when the next one will be out because of uni. Sorry, and probably will try to update my other stories before then.


End file.
